Todaiji rose to power when Emperor Shoumu solicited donations for a temple to Buddha in 743 in hopes that this would end the series of natural disasters that had hit Japan at the time. is known for its huge statue of Buddha, housed in the largest wooden building in the world. The statue is about 50 feet tall, and is simply enormous. There are also two excellently carved guardian diety statues within the building, and two equally well-crafted statues in the sies of the gate.

Photography is difficult, due to the low light of the interior and the fact the statue is rather black in color. A tripod would be helpful, although inconvenient to carry. My 50 mm, f/1.8 lens at 1/50s with ISO 3200 turned out ok, although a wider zoom would have been nice.